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Marx-Engels Correspondence 1861
Marx To Engels
In Manchester
Source: MECW, Volume 41, p. 337;
First published: abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in MEGA, Berlin, 1930.
[London,] 27 December 1861
Dear Engels,
When the outside world first began to ‘dun’ me, I wrote — since I didn’t want to be always pestering you — not only to my mother and other relations, but also to Siebel. Now that young man, as I see from his letter, has again written to you. Consider the matter as non avenue.
I am extremely vexed that you should have had to give Dronke an I.O.U. for my sake. Originally, he promised to arrange the matter in less onerous a form and to give longer terms.
I don’t yet know quite how I am to weather this crisis. Whatever happens -since otherwise it would be plainly impossible — I shall write to my landlord and tell him that he cannot be paid now, that I intend to give him a bill, etc.
The court case is also going wrong. Since the point at issue turns on partnership, my lawyer considers it necessary-if I am not to be made to pay the £20 — that the case be removed from the Sheriff’s Court and taken before a Superior Court. I am due to appear at the Sheriff’s Court on January 3rd. My mistake lay in not having concluded a written contract with A. Petsch. Sidney, my attorney, believes I should be pretty safe in the Superior Court.
The rotten Presse is printing barely half my articles. They're jackasses. I wonder how they propose to pay, whether I'm expected to write individual articles on ‘spec’, or what?
In the meantime, may I wish you in advance every happiness for the New Year. If it’s anything like the old one, I, for my part, would sooner consign it to the devil.
Salut.
Your
K. M.